CASE STUDY- Children's social care national framework: City of York Council

How the City of York Council embedded the national framework across all areas of children’s social care.

Embedding the Children’s Social Care National Framework: Lessons from York

The City of York Council provides a strong example of how the Children’s Social Care National Framework can be successfully embedded across an entire service.

At its core, York’s approach has been about making the framework part of everyday practice, rather than treating it as a standalone policy. The framework’s outcomes and principles now shape day-to-day work, workforce development, leadership expectations, and how the service evaluates its impact on children and families.

This has helped create a more consistent, outcome-focused culture, with a clear emphasis on improving safety, stability, and support for children and young people.

A key part of York’s success has been aligning its practice tools and guidance directly with the framework. Its updated practice handbook clearly links everyday actions to the framework’s four main outcomes:

• Helping children stay safely at home

• Protecting children from harm

• Strengthening support from family and community networks

• Ensuring stable, loving homes where needed

By embedding these outcomes into both practice and quality assurance, practitioners can better understand how their work contributes to long-term improvements in children’s lives.

In summary, York’s experience shows that meaningful implementation comes from integration, embedding national principles into culture, tools, and leadership rather than simply adopting them in theory.

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